Hope
by Jane Willow
Summary: One the Island, when you die, you stay. You're in a seemingly endless state of purgatory. But what happens when our castaways are given a chance to take a glimps of the world they're no longer allowed in?
1. Encounters

**Encounters:**

"I don't understand. Where are we?"

"More importantly, why are we here?"

Ana Lucia sighed. "You think this is… you know, _it_? Crossing over? Being dead?"

"We _are _dead," Libby pointed out.

"Yeah, but hanging out in the Island of Purgatory isn't exactly how I'd choose to spend my afterlife."

Libby gave her a little smile. It was true, they had been wandering around the Island for weeks now, not knowing where to go, what to do, or what was supposed to happen next. But now things had changed.

The two women looked around their new settings.

"Not exactly Heaven," Ana Lucia muttered.

"I wouldn't call it Hell…" Libby said, looking around the patio. Plastic tables and fake palm trees covered it, streamers hanging from the canopies.

"I said it's fine, Boone. Can't you just leave it alone?"

Ana and Libby turned. A tall blond girl and young man with brown hair and blue eyes walked up to the patio.

Ana Lucia felt herself freeze.

"Shannon, we have to find out where we are, we can't just-"

"We're dead, what's the worst that could happen?" she spat.

Libby walked over to them.

"Excuse me," the man said, "but do you know where we are?"

Libby shook her head. "Who are you? Are you…?"

"Dead?" the girl asked. "Yeah. We were on flight…" her voice trailed off as her eyes wandered over to Ana Lucia. She took a step back. "You… you're…"

Ana Lucia sighed, trying not to meet the girl's gaze. "Yeah. It's me."

The girl looked almost panicked, as if she didn't know what to do next.

"Shannon, what?" the man asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

The girl began shaking her head, tears gathering in her eyes, but anger clearly written on her face. She held out her arm and pointed it at Ana Lucia. "She killed me."


	2. The Other

**The Others:**

The man took a menacing step forward, but Libby put her hand on his chest. "Stop," she said, trying her best to stay calm. "Right now, fighting isn't going to do anything. We're in the same boat here."

Libby let her hand fall, but the man never took his eyes off Ana. Libby wasn't too worried. He seemed to… she had to search for the word… _genuine _to really hurt anyone.

The giel sighed, crossing her arms. She had quickly composed herself, never ready, even in death, to be seen as weak or vulnerable. At least to someone she didn't know. "So, I know who _she _is. Who are you?"

"I'm Libby."

"You were on the plane, too?"

Libby nodded. "We both were. This is Ana Lucia."

"Look," Ana said, feeling she needed to speak up, "I didn't mean to hurt you, I-"

"Let's save the apologies for later, after we find out where the hell we are," the girl huffed, pulling out a plastic chair from a table and sitting down.

_I never apologised_, Ana thought, angrily. But Libby was right, this was no time to start fighting.

"I'm Boone," said the man. "And this," he said, indicating the girl, "is Shannon."

Shannon gave Libby a sarcastic little wave.

"So," Ana said, looking over at Boone, "how'd _you_ die?"

Boone was taken back by the blunt question. "Are you really in a position to be asking questions here? I mean, if anything I should be asking you why you would-"

"If you'll just let me explain what-"

"You shot her, what's there to explain?"

"It was raining and I thought-"

"-guys, calm down we need to-" Libby tried to interject.

"You were just trigger happy and-"

"Oh, I've had enough from you, Bob."

"_Boone_."

"-together or we're gunna-"

"Whatever. I don't need some little mama's boy telling me what I-"

"Oh? Insults now?"

"What reason could you possibly have for shooting someone who-"

"-let me get a word in-"

"Okay, fine. Get a word in, _Libby_. But it better be a good one because-"

"She thought I was one of them."

All eyes turned to Shannon, who until now had remained quiet.

"One of who?" asked Boone.

Ana Lucia and Libby exchanged worried glances.

"The Others," Shannon said. "She thought I was one of them."

Boone looked back at Ana. He had never known much about 'the Others' and was still confused by them. Though, from what he gathered, _everyone_ was confused by them.

"I thought," Ana Lucia said, after Boone had thought for a moment, "I was protecting my people. I didn't mean to hurt you," she said, turning to Shannon.

"Your people?" Boone asked.

"We were sitting in the tail section," said Libby, calmly. "We found some of your people and they led us back to your camp at the beach."

"Who?" asked Boone, sorting through the new information.

Just then two more voices were heard and everyone turned and looked across the yard to see where they were coming from.

"I told you, man, how am I supposed to know?"

"-_Korean_-"

"Yeah, I know, I know, we're lost. Got anything else to say or are we just…"

All eyes fell on the two men walking across the patio. They stopped when they saw the others.

"-_Korean_-?"

"Yeah…I think we found 'em."

* * *

AN: Clearly, I can't speak Korean, lol. Forgive me. Jin'll probably start speaking more and moe English as I go on. And yes, I'm assuming that Michael and Jin are both dead, though there are tons of theories out there theat say otherwise. Really, I just wanted them in my story :P Also, did you catch that Libby was in the middle of saying "we need to live together or we're gunna die alone"? Of course, this really doesn't make sense, since they're already dead, but I figure she was grasping at straws, and if everyone listens to Jack when he says it, why not her? lol


	3. Fists

**Fists:**

"_Michael?"_

Michael lowered his head, ashamed. "Yeah, Libby, it's me."

Shannon looked from Michael to Libby. "Guys, what…"

Suddenly, Michael was brought to the ground, face pressed hard onto the rough patio. Ana Lucia sat on his chest, and putting all her strength into it, punched him in the jaw.

"You liar!" she screamed, winding up for her next punch. Before she could, Jin pulled her off, his arms tight around her, pinning her arms to her sides. Her legs still flailed, as she tried to get free.

Shannon jumped up and stood closed to Boone, unsure of what was going on.

Michael stood back up, blood running down his chin.

Libby backed away from him, not sure whether she was angry, sad, or scared.

Ana Lucia still yelled for Jin to let go of her.

"Michael?" Jin asked, looked worried. "Michael, -_Korean_-!"

"Let her go, man."

Jin stared at him, as if he didn't believe, or understand, what Michael had meant.

"Let her go!" he repeated.

Jin released Ana, who walked back up to Michael. She pushed him back forcefully. "Why," she demanded.

"Look, you gotta understand that I-"

"You lied to me," she said angrily, though she kept her voice quiet. "You said that-"

"What's going on?" Boone interrupted. "Michael, why are they…"

"He killed us," Libby said. "He shot us."

"-_Angry Korean_-"

"Yeah, I know, man. I'm terrible. I deserve it." Michael looked back at Ana Lucia, her dark eyes on fire. "I had to do it."

"Excuse me?"

"I had to find my boy. Walt."

"Walt?" Shannon asked. "Where is he, did he-"

"They took him off the raft," Michael explained, quickly.

"Who?" asked Boone.

"Udders."

Boone looked at Jin and nodded, realizing just how much these 'Others' had effected their lives.

"Was he back on the Island?" Shannon insisted. "Did he-"

"Hold on a second, I get some answers first," Ana Lucia said. She turned back to Michael. "You'd better have a real good explanation for what you did."

Michael sighed and nodded, slowly. "I was with the Others. They said that I needed to free Ben and-"

And Lucia swung again, knocking him back. Another blow and he was back on the ground.

"_Ana_, let him talk," Libby said.

"Why do you have any sympathy for this guy? He killed you, too!"

"Let him finish. Maybe we didn't die for nothing."

"Like I did."

Ana Lucia turned back to face Shannon, who crossed her arms defiantly.

Michael staggered to his feet and looked over at Jin.

"-_Stern Korean_-"

Michael shook his head. "They said," he continued, holding his arm out between him and Ana, "that once I let Ben go, and got everyone on the list…"

"List?" asked Boone.

"Yeah," Ana Lucia said, bitterly. "They make lists."

"That they would give Walt back. And then we could leave."

"Leave the Island?" Shannon asked.

Michael nodded. "Yeah."

"So, how'd you two die?" asked Boone.

Michael glanced at Jin, who seemed to understand the question. "Boom."

"Boom? Someone else went boom?"

Again the group turned to see a middle aged man with a scarf tied around his neck walking up to them.

Shannon rolled her eyes. "Not this guy…"


	4. The House

**The House:**

"Was it the dynamite? Because I told them, it needs to be handled very-"

"No, man. This wasn't dynamite."

"Hey, what happened to you're mouth?"

And Lucia changed the subject. "Who are you?"

"This," said Shannon sarcastically, "is Mr. Arzt. Crap Hole Island's resident perv ball."

"Dr. Arzt," he corrected. "And I am not a perv ball!"

"That's not what Nikki said…"

"Hey," said Michael, "you're the one who knew about winds, right? The teacher?"

Arzt smiled, proudly. "Yes, yes, that's me."

Jin looked around. "Charlie?"

Libby sighed. She looked over to see Jin affectionately pat Boone's shoulder."We need to find out where we are, then we can all catch up."

"It looks like someone's backyard…" Michael said, looking around.

Jin looked North, noticing something. "-_Korean_-"

The group turned to him.

"What'd he say?" asked Shannon.

Jin shook his head, frustrated he wasn't understood. He pointed across the lawn. "_Look_. Eko."

Sure enough, Mr. Eko was walking up the neatly trimmed lawn. He met them on the patio. "Hello," he smiled at Libby and Ana, giving each of them a small hu. He nodded at Jin, but looked at Michael suspiciously.

"_You _died?" Ana Lucia asked.

Eko nodded.

"How?"

The man shook his head. "I don't think we are supposed to know yet."

Shannon and Boone exchanged confused glances.

"Hold on," Arzt said, "how are we not supposed to know? Doesn't everything become clear when you die? And we are dead, _right_? So how about you-"

"I would like to talk to Michael, please," he said, ignoring Arzt.

Michael wiped his mouth again, waiting for the bleeding to stop. "Me? But…"

"We are dead," Eko explained, " but we have no yet crossed over. There is still time to repent for what you have done."

" 'What he has done'?" repeated Arzt. "What's that supposed to mean? What'd you do? Who _is _this guy?"

Ana Lucia shot him an angry look and Arzt stopped talking.

"Hold on," said Boone, "I don't know who he is, either. Is he… is he one of them?"

Eko shook his head. "My name is Mr. Eko and I was on the plane, in the tail section."

"I'm Boone," Boone said, "this is Shannon."

Eko nodded to each of them. "You are Shannon?"

She nodded, a little nervously.

Eko looked from Ana to Shannon. "I hope that there are no ill feelings that-"

Shannon shook her head. "Whatever. I'm over it."

Ana Lucia shrugged at him, though it was clear from the guilt still on her face that she was far from 'over it'.

"Wait," said Michael, "why do I have to go and… _repent_ and she doesn't. She's just as much a murderer as I am! She killed trying to save her people; I killed trying to save my son!"

Mr. Eko nodded. "I am not accusing you of anything. I just-"

"Hey," Libby said, "who's that?"

Every stared at the new people approaching them.

"Here we go again…" muttered Shannon.

A tall woman, with wild, long hair approached, two younger people a step behind her; a boy and a girl.

"Where are we?" demanded the woman, without so much as a greeting or introduction.

"We don't know," said Michael. "You got any ideas?"

"You don't know?" the girl behind her repeated. "But… but we followed you here!"

"Isn't this where the dead people go?" asked the boy.

"Who are you?" asked Boone, ignoring their questions.

"My name," said the woman, "is Danielle. This is my daughter, Alex, and this is Karl. We followed you all here, hoping we would find where we are supposed to be. Where the dead people go."

Shannon pulled Boone to her and whispered something to him.

Jin looked around. "-_Korean_-?" he asked, waiting for anyone to answer.

"No, man. I only saw the girl."

Karl stepped forward, visibly frustrated. "You were on the plane, right? Oceanic? I warned you my people were coming. Don't you remember?"

Alex looked around. "Is Claire here?"

"Or Sawyer? Kate?"

Shannon took a hesitant step forward. "Est… c'est tu? Qui fait…" she shook her head, searching for the right words. "Qui fait le message? 'Ils sont mort'. C'est toi?"

Danielle looked at Shannon a little suspiciously. "Yes. You must be the one who told Sayid what my message said."

Shannon nodded. "Yeah… have you seen him? Sayid?"

"Let us hope not. If I have seen him, that means he is dead, too."

Mr. Eko walked over to Michael. "Come, brother, don't you want God's forgiveness? Would you like my help?"

Michael shrugged him away. "Can't you see we got bigger problems right now? Like where the hell we are. Or who the hell these people are, or-"

Mr. Eko nodded. "I understand that there is much going on, but guilt can ruin a person's life."

"I ain't got a life anymore," Michael said, darkly.

"Hold on," Ana Lucia said, "you weren't on the plane?"

"I told your people before," Danielle said, "I was with a research team and-"

Alex took a step toward Michael. "You remember me?"

"I remember you putting a bag over my head and dragging me through the jungle," he spat.

Suddenly, someone else entered the yard, through a doorway.

"You all see that, right?" asked Libby. "I'm not crazy?"

The others turned to see the doorway slowly become clearer.

"It's… a house," Boone said.

"Another point for Captain Obvious," Shannon said, rolling her eyes.

The woman walked past them, smiling, and placed something on one of the tables. Then a man stepped out of the doors. "Oh," said the woman, "he is going to be so surprised!"

* * *

**AN**: Cliff hanger! So anyways, yay! Now Danielle and the crew are there. Origianlly I meant for it to only be crash survivors, but I needed Danielle here to clear something up later. And it didn't make sense to have her and not Alex and Karl. So anyways, if you'll notice they didn't make it there on their own, they had to follow Michael and Jin. Also, I just wanna point out that Libby asked if she was crazy. Oh yes, folks, we can't forget her mental hospital past :)

Lastly, it is way hard to keep track of who knows who. If I'm introducing people who already know each other, or vise versa, then... my bad, lol.


	5. There Are No Angels Here

**There Are No Angels Here:**

The woman walked past them, back into the house.

"She's alive, isn't she?" asked Danielle.

Arzt sighed, angrily. "Well, if she's alive, why don't we go ask her for help?"

"You think she's an angel?" asked Boone, his eyes still on the door she had disapeared through.

"No wings," Ana Lucia mumbled.

"Hey, it's Paulo."

"Who?"

Shannon pointed across the patio, and standing behind the streamers was Paulo. He walked up to the group. "Have you seen her?" he asked, pleadingly.

"Who?" asked Libby.

"Nikki. Nikki, have you seen Nikki?"

They shook they're heads.

"-_Korean_-?"

"What did he say?" asked Paulo.

Jin looked around, searching for anyone who might understand. He pointed to his hand, as if he were holding something. "-_Korean_-."

"What, man?"

"Wait, where is Nikki?" Arzt piped up.

Libby walked over to Jin, trying to understand.

"Paulo's... holding something? Had something?"

Jin pointed to Paulo and nodded.

Paulo hung his head. "He means the diamonds, doesn't he?"

"Diamonds?" Mr. Eko asked.

Paulo walked over to Jin. "Is that why she's avoiding me? Because I took the diamonds?"

Jin shook his head, indicating me didn't understand.

"Wait, wait, wait," said Arzt, "let me get this straight."

Paulo rolled his eyes. "_This _guy's here?"

Ana Lucia smiled at him. "Yeah. This is the first time I've ever seen him and already I-"

"Can we get back on task here?" Boone interrupted, angrily. "We need to find out what's going on. How'd you guys all get here?"

Ana rolled her eyes at Paulo, and though he was still visibly upset, gave her a small smile back.

Libby shrugged. "Ana and I were walking down the beach and… suddenly it wasn't a beach anymore. Suddenly… we were here."

The rest of the group nodded, sharing similar stories.

"So, then, why are we here?" Boone asked.

"Jeez, genius, if they knew that, don't you think they'd have said something by now?" Shannon said, crossing her arm across her chest.

"Well, someone needs to start getting some answers, and seeing as no one wants to-"

"Hey," Arzt said suddenly, "aren't you the guy who took the water?"

Shannon rolled her eyes. "The one and friggin' only."

"Okay," Boone started, defensively, "that was-"

"Stop it. We need to find out where Nikki is. I have to explain…"

"Who's Nikki again?" asked Ana.

"Wait," Michael piped up, "you mean you haven't seen her since you… you know, died?"

Paulo shook his head. "I have no idea where she is."

"We don't have any idea where _we_ are," Ana pointed out.

Danielle grew bored of the banter that was going no where and left to inspect what seemed to be the yard they were in.

Mr. Eko nodded. "Maybe we should focus on the task at hand."

Michael grumbled something Eko tactfully chose to ignore.

Libby looked over at him. "You're a priest, aren't you?"

Eko nodded slowly and Ana Lucia remembered the few stories he had shared with her about his brother also being a priest in Nigeria. The subject must have still brought him pain.

"Then," Libby went on, "is this… Heaven? Hell? I mean, where are we?"

"I am afraid I do not know. I have never been dead before," he said with a little smile. He looked back to Michael. "Come, Michael. It is time to make your confession. If this really is Heaven, or Hell, it will soon be too late."

"Confession?" Paulo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't ask," Ana Lucia mumbled.

"Wait," Paulo said as Michael and Eko turned to leave, "aren't you the guy who…"

"Yeah, man. That's me."

**AN**: I realize now I'm making Shannon pretty mean. Nearly every line she has something mean, and mostly directed at Boone. But don't worry Shannon-fans, I'll redeam her :)


	6. Nikki

**Nikki:**

Nikki walked through the forest, alone. Everyday she just walked through the forest, waiting for something to happen.

She knew she was dead because she never got hungry or tired. And because she could remember being buried alive. But she tried not to think about that.

She wanted to find him, but she had no idea where to look. And she didn't dare wait for him at the grave. So she just walked, like she always did, and waited.

There was never anyone around. Ever. It was the same island, just empty. She'd sit at the camp, where she knew people were, where the _should _be, but there was still no one. It was because, she reasoned, they were alive and she was dead. She wasn't allowed to be with the living anymore. And really, it was her fault.

Paulo was dead, too. She knew because she'd opened her eyes just before-

But she didn't like to think about that.

Being alone was painful and unlike anything she knew how to deal with. Day after endless day she was alone. She wondered of dead people could go crazy.

A lot of people had died on the Island, she reasoned. So there was no way she could be _completely _alone. She just had to find them. And so she walked through the jungle, for the first time unbothered by bugs and stones, and looked for the rest of the dead people. And looked hardest for Paulo.

The trees seemed to grow thinner ahead. Nikki was excited. She had never been to this clearing before. Who knew what could be there. Another hatch? Another horse? Another helicopter, even? She's found all sorts of things while she wandered. Just not the right things.

The trees gave way to short, green grass. Ahead of her was hazy, and Nikki figured it must be because there was a storm coming. But then again she'd never been that good at figuring out the weather. That was more Arzt's thing.

She continued to walk, trying to squint through the fog. The short, soft grass was a nice change from the dried mud and twigs. Not that it really hurt. Ever since she had died, everything seemed numb.

Was that a house?

_Am I back at the barracks? _she wondered. No. This house was too big. And there was a patio and… people. People?

She ran over to them, heart racing, for the first time the smallest bit of feeling coming back to her.

The haze lifted. Or seemed to.

Two men sat in chairs, talking quietly.

The looked up when they saw her.

"Are you all right, miss?"

The shear joy of hearing another human beings voice nearly overwhelmed her.

"You… you," she panted, pointing at the man who had spoke to her, "you're the guy who died."

Mr. Eko nodded. "We are all dead."

Nikki quickly looked around. Further down the patio a group of people stood talking.

"Is he here?" she demanded.

"Who?"

But she didn't answer. He had to be.

She ran over to the group and scanned the area, leaving the two men. She recognized them, most of them. They were dead. She's finally found them. _Finally._

And then she found him_._

"Paulo!"

In a instant he was beside her, holding her to him. Tears if relief flooded her eyes as he hugged her tightly. He murmured something in her hair, but she could make it out. And slowly the numbness she had felt for so long faded away.

"I'm so sorry," she whimpered. "I didn't mean… I mean, I didn't think…"

Paulo held her out at arms length. "It's okay," she smiled, his own brown eyes teary. "It doesn't matter. They're gone and you're back. It doesn't matter."

She quickly pulled him into another hug.

Behind them, the group watched the reunion.

"Well," said Ana Lucia dryly, "there was go."

**AN: **Hmmm... Paulo and Ana?


	7. A Party

**A Party:**

Alex and Karl sat alone at one of the tables a little further away from the group.

"I knew we shouldn't have followed them," Alex muttered. "We weren't on that stupid plane, we don't-"

"I don't think it matters who was on the plane anymore," Karl pointed out. "Dead is dead. We're all even now."

Alex shook her head and looked up at him, darkly, lashes casting pale shadows on her cheeks. "Trust me, it matters."

Danielle walked up to them. "We're in a backyard," she said. "But I'm not sure of any way out buy the way we came.

"I don't want to go back to that island," Alex said.

Karl nodded, still think about where they were. "Looks like it's set up for a party or something. And the people living here are defiantly loaded. Look at the size of that house."

Danielle thought for a moment. "If they are going o have a party, it means people will be here soon. Lots of them."

"Maybe they're already here," Alex pointed out. We're dead, how could we tell?"

"That woman…" Danielle said, looked back at the doors the lady had come through.

"Maybe's she's dead, too," said Karl.

"No, she didn't see us. This place is different."

Alex nodded as if she understood. "The rules changed."

"Should we go?" asked Karl, "Get away from this party?"

Danielle shook her head. "I want to see who is invited, first."


	8. Redemption Song

**Redeption Song:**

"I'm sorry that I killed them, but… but what other choice did I have, man?"

"I understand," Mr. Eko said, kindly, "why you did it. God understands this, too. He sees you do not have a black heart. Are you sorry for what you have done?"

Michael hung his head. "You have no idea. …I tried to kill myself, you know." He looked back up at Eko. "I couldn't _take_ it."

Mr. Eko nodded. "All you need to do is ask, and you will be forgiven."

Michael shook his head. "There's no God, man. Don't you think things would be a little different now that we're dead? Shouldn't there be angles playing harps and clouds and pearly gates?"

"We have to accept that this is something we do not understand. We have to have faith that we will be led through it."

"If there was a God that plane wouldn't have crashed."

"Again," Eko said, "we do not understand. It does not mean that there is no reason. We are apart of something so large we cannot see the entire thing. We have one piece of the puzzle, and to us it is not a picture. But when placed with the other pieces it-"

"Would _God_ have my son _hate_ me?" Michael cried, finally frustrated enough to shout. "After everything we both went through?"

"Why does your son hate you?" Eko didn't seem upset that Michael had yelled at him. He took it all in stride.

"Why do you _think_?" Michael spat.

"Is it God's fault that you shot two people?"

Again, Michael hung his head. "Don't try to turn this around on me, man."

"Your son was in a plane crash. He was not killed. There was no food, but he did not starve. He was kidnapped by known killers, but found again, unharmed. Am I wrong?"

Michael shook his head.

"So now, Michael, tell me again that there is no God. Explain to me just how your son survived all this with out Him."

Michael finally brought his gaze back up to Eko tears slowly forming in his dulled eyes. "I don't know what I'm supposed to _do_. I've never known what I was supposed to do…"

Eko took hold of Michael's hand.

"Forgive me, Father," Eko began, "for I have sinned."

**AN: **I figured the title of the chapter was fitting, even if no one was singing. Sawyer saing "Redemption Song" by Bob Marley on the raft, and Michael commented on it. Now, Michael is looking for redemption.


	9. Come On, Another Adventure Boys

**Come On, Another Adventure Boys:**

Boone thought they should go into the house.

Ana Lucia thought it was a terrible idea.

And Shannon's head was ready to explode.

"Look," she cried, "I don't _care_ what you two do, but can you just _shut up_ about it?"

Boone furrowed his brow. "Forgive me, Shan, for trying to figure out a way to get you-"

"Oh, I get it," she hissed, "you want to _save_ me again."

"You're right," Boone said, exasperated. "You'd think I'd learn by now."

"Guys, let's just relax," Libby said. "Maybe we should make a list of pros and cons."

Paulo spoke up. "I think we should go in. What would it hurt? That woman… she didn't see us. Besides, standing out here doing nothing is… while, it's nothing."

Ana Lucia sighed. "I guess you're right… but we don't know anything about that house. Who's in it, _what's_ in it. We need a little information."

Shannon couldn't help but think Ana sounded a lot like Sayid.

"Well, that yard seems normal enough," Boone said.

"Look," Arzt said, "I think I can help. Judging from how big the house is, and the type of architecture, I'd say these people must be-"

"Or we could just look in the window…" Nikki pointed out.

"Yeah, that, too."

"-_Korean?_-"

Libby pointed to the window and pretended to peer into something. Jin smiled at her little actions. "I understand," he said, slowly. "Thank you."

Libby smiled back, sweetly. "You're welcome."

"So who's going?" Ana asked.

"I will," Boone volunteered.

"Boone," Shannon said, through clenched teeth, holding onto his hand.

"What? Someone needs to-"

"It's okay," Ana Lucia said, "I'll go." She shrugged. "I have some… making up to do. I'll look in the window then head in."

Shannon gave Ana a small nod of thanks as she headed towards the house, Boone still at her side.

"Wait," said Paulo, "you can't go alone."

Nikki looked up at him. "You don't want to go, right?"

Paulo nodded. "Yeah, we can't let her go by herself."

Nikki's face fell.

"I'll be back soon, all right?"

"I'm coming."

Paulo shook his head. "Too many cooks in the kitchen. We might have to be quiet or hide." He kissed her cheek. "I'm coming back," he assured her. Nikki nodded and Paulo caught up to Ana Lucia.

"Help," Jin said, walking up to them.

Paulo shook his head. "I don't think-"

"No, he should come," Ana Lucia said. "He could defiantly kick some ass if push came to shove. Come on."

Jin nodded and joined Ana Lucia and Paulo.

The three headed towards the house.

**AN: **I'll be the first to admit the title's a bit weird. It's a line from Peter Pan, one of my favorite books, so I quote it all the time :) If Ana Lucia were a happier person, I might have had her actually say the line, but... doesn't seem to fit her, lol. Anyhow, she's just bringin' the boys on another adventure :)


	10. The Living

**The Living:**

"We're going to be late if your don't hurry up."

"Does this match?"

"You're such a girl. You know that?"

"It doesn't."

"You're changed more times then I have."

"There's going to be cameras, aren't there?"

"There are always cameras… but I'm sure Mrs. Reyes… are you listening to me?"

"How's this?"

"Very sharp. Ready?"

"Yeah. Did you feed Aaron?"

"Yeah. Let's go."


	11. Right Here

**Right Here:**

Jin peered in the window, just like Libby had pretended to do, and looked around. Nothing out of the ordinary. If there was such thing as "ordinary" anymore...

Paulo looked back across the lawn and waved to Nikki, who waved back.

"That your wife?" asked Ana, leaning her back against the wall of the house.

Paulo shook his head. "Girlfriend."

Jin moved back from the window. "Empty," he said.

"Well," Paulo said, "we may as well go in."

"What if they can see us?" Ana Lucia asked, a part of her still unsure about the plan. "What if…"

"We hid," Paulo shrugged. "Or," he said, nodding over to Jin, "we get the Karate Kid to throw some punches."

Ana smiled, but shook her head. "Trust me, he'll kick your ass."

Jin looked back to the window, then again at Ana and Paulo, still laughing quietly. "Go now," he said.

Ana Lucia nodded, her smile fading. She looked at each of her companions, then turned for the door.

"Oi! _Oi_!"

The three spun around.

Some ran wildly up to the group they had left behind on the patio. Exchanging glances the three each decided they didn't want to miss a piece of the action and ran back.

The group had formed a circle around whoever the new comer was. Michael and Eko were back, and even Karl, Alex and Danielle came to see who had joined.

Ana Lucia pushed her way to the middle of the circle to see how was there.

He rested his hands on his knees, panting. "Did you see her?" he asked through laboured breaths. Long, dirty blond hair fell into his eyes and hid his face.

"Who?" asked Ana,

Charlie stood up right, his chest still heaving. He must have flown here he had been in such a hurry. His heart seemed ready to beat out of his chest. This scared Ana, though she would never admit it. Why would he run here so fast?

"Claire! Did you see here?"

Confused, each person shook their head.

Charlie's eyes flew around the yard. "She was right _here!"_


	12. Big Finishes

**Big Finishes:**

"Last I heard," Michael said, "Claire wasn't dead."

"Claire," Jin said, "on the Island." He pointed from the direction each of them had come from.

Charlie shook his head. "No, no, I _saw_ her!"

"Relax, Charlie," Mr. Eko said, "we have all been here. She is not here, or someone would have seen her."

"Like we could miss hearing that baby cry," Shannon said, in a failed attempt to lighten to mood.

"Uh… the baby's not with her," Michael said, quietly.

"_What_?"

"It's okay, Charlie!" Libby said, now taking her turn to try and calm him down. "Neither of them are here, which means they're okay."

"Were they rescued?" he asked, looking around. "Desmond said they'd be rescued!"

"Who's Desmond?" asked Boone. "Is he one of them?"

"No. Well, yes. …No, no." Charlie shook his head, frustrated. "Are you _sure_ she's not here?"

"Yes," Nikki said. "Positive."

Libby pulled a chair out from one of the tables and Charlie gratefully sat. "I'm dead and I still can't run," he smiled, catching his breath.

"How'd you die?" Shannon asked, carefully.

Charlie sighed. "I drowned. I went down into one of their stations, the underwater one, the Looking Glass…"

"Stations?" Boone asked.

"Like I told you about," Shannon explained, quietly.

"Oh, right. The hatches."

"Anyways, I was down there trying to un-jam this signal so Jack could make a call for help. But just after I did it I had a grenade thrown at the window and all the water came in," he said with a shrug. "And that was my big finish."

"You wanna hear about _big finishes_?" Nikki asked, raising an eyebrow. "You buried us alive."

"What?"

Nikki nodded. "We were paralysed. You thought we were dead."

Charlie sat for a moment, sorting through this. "But…"

"It doesn't matter now," Paulo said quickly. He turned back to Ana Lucia. "We should go back."

"You're going in that house?" asked Charlie.

Ana Lucia nodded. "Yeah. We're gunna see if we can't-"

The door burst open and people spilled out. A ton of people. Cooks and waiters took their spots behind trays and counters. People filled in the tables and children ran along the lawn.

The group didn't move, unsure of what to do.

"Can they see us?" whispered Arzt.

"I don't think so," said Boone, looking around.

Danielle smirked. "It's the party. They're here."

Charlie looked the house up and down. "Guys… where are we?"

* * *

**AN: **I had to throw in that classic Charlie line :) Anyhow, so _did_ Charlie really see Claire? And have you figured out where they all are yet, or, more importantly, who will be there? Who won't? Lol, read on!


	13. Surprise

**Surprise:**

"Now," Carmen Reyes said after the guests had quieted down, "be very, very quiet and when my Hugo walks through the door, we all yell _surprise!_"

A few guests nodded and went back to their conversations.

David Reyes ran through the doors leading from the house and up to the guests. "He's here!" he cried.

Everyone began to whisper and giggle.

About half way down the patio Jack and Kate stood together, Aaron in Kate's arms, waiting for Hurley to come through the doors.

Jack straightened his tie.

"What did I tell you?" Kate whispered, "You looked fine."

"I haven't worn a tie in a long time. I'm still getting used to it," he smiled.

Sayid and Nadia walked over to them. "Have you guys noticed the theme?" Nadia whispered.

Kate smiled. "Yes."

"I don't know what they were thinking," Sayid said with a smile, looking up at all of the paper palm trees and coconuts.

"They got it wrong," Kate whispered to Jack, "there's no guava."

Hurley came through the doors, Jesus statue in hand.

"_Surprise_!" they cried, and the baby laughed.


	14. Everything We've Done

**Everything We've Done:**

It took them all by surprise really, to finally see where they were, but they had to admit it made sense. It was probably one of the first and only times that the Oceanic Six had been together since just after they were rescued. Minus Sun, of course.

Libby began to cry, and Mr. Eko took it upon himself to comfort her. Ana Lucia felt guilty that it wasn't her rushing to her friend's aid, seeing as they had been together all that time in death on the Island. But she just couldn't bring herself to. It was too hard to even be _near_ vulnerability. How could she help someone cope with emotion if she couldn't cope with it herself?

Nikki and Paulo walked off, uneasy at first. But upon realizing they were completely unseen by all of the living party guests, were comfortable enough to look at the food in each booth, Paulo seeming to critic it. Ana Lucia noticed they were holding hand.

Charlie was still convinced he had seen Claire. Unphased by all of the action around him, he wandered about the fence that closed in the yard, determined to find her.

Jin was disappointed Sun wasn't there. He sunk down into a plastic stare and looked out at all of the guests milling around through blank eyes. He knew she was all right, that she must be back in Korea, but… just to see her, be near her…

Shannon stayed close to Boone, very nervous about the whole situation. Though Boone would never admit it, he was glad she was there. In this big crowd of people, he felt more lost then ever.

Arzt was explaining their current situation to the few new people who had tricked in. Among them Joanna, Gary Troop, and Edward Mars, the marshal. He didn't stay long to hear what was going on, instead he left the group and marched up to where Kate stood.

"Who's the _kid_?" he spat, to no one in particular.

Michael, who happened to be near by, answered. "It's Aaron. Looks like she's watching him now."

"Is he her's?"

Michael brought his eyes to the ground and shoo his head. "No, man. It's… it's a long story."

"Why isn't she in jail?" the marshal demand, watching as she tickled the baby's cheek while chatting with a woman he didn't recognize.

"How would I know?"

Edward scowled. "It'll come back around, you know," he said, more to himself then Michael. "It always does. Everything she's done… it's gunna come back and bite her in the ass."

Michael turned to leave, tired of the marshal's grumbling. "…everything we've done…" he muttered absently.


	15. Libby

**Libby:**

Libby didn't want to stay with Mr. Eko for long. She didn't want to be "_that_ woman". The woman who cried. She was a strong person, and this was her chance to show it.

But seeing them again… remembering everything that had happened. Even _that_ would have all been okay, but then Hurley walked out the door.

It was his birthday.

And this was why she cried.

Because she couldn't be there with him. She could help make him happy, take that bit of sadness she still saw in his eyes away and help him enjoy himself. She couldn't talk to him the way she used to, help him.

And maybe it was a little selfish, but she was sad that she couldn't feel happy like the people milling around the party seemed to be.

Hurley sat at a table near the front of the patio, talking to all of the people who had gathered around him.

Oh, that smile.

There was an empty seat next to him. The man who had been there had just left.

Libby had never been a bold person. She didn't take all the many risks, do things that were all that exciting. But for him she would be bold.

And so she sat in the chair beside Hurley and willed herself not to cry.

_He still needs his hair cut, _she thought, smiling a little. But he looked happy. And this made her happy, put her at ease.

Right now things were very scary for her. She didn't know where she was or why she was there, but he was enjoying himself. He had been saved. And he deserved it.

"I missed you, Hurley," she said, quietly.

Hurley smiled as the man sitting across from him finished a joke.

"I'm sorry I left you, you know. I'm sorry I cared about stupid blankets."

He took a sip of his drink and said something to a kid who passed by.

Tears welled up again as she realized that he really couldn't hear her. A small piece of her had hoped he would. _Dead people can cry, _she thought bitterly, _but not be heard?_

"Hurley… I could hear you. When you would come and sit by my grave. I heard you. And I wanted to help you, really, I did. But I couldn't. It was the weirdest thing. I was at the beach, but… _no_ one was there. Except Ana Lucia. It's like… we were in different _dimensions_ or something."

Someone passed Hurley a plate of food and the man she assumed to be his father walked by, patted him on the back, and whispered something into his ear.

"But I could still hear you," she continued, tears softly rolling down her cheeks and falling onto the table. "I like to think… you're voice… you know, me and you, we…" she shook her head. "It's silly, but I like to think dimensions don't matter for us."

And the new, bold Libby took Hurley's hand.

And Hurley stopped. His eyes glazed over, as if he were thinking. Remembering, Libby hoped.

"Guys?" she heard Hurley say to the people sitting around the table, "is it raining? There are, like, drops on the table over here."

Then he looked right at her.

And she _knew he saw her._

**Only fools are enslaved by time and space.**


	16. Girls With Guns

**Girls With Guns:**

Ana Lucia found a spot on the lawn away from too many people and sat down. She needed some time to clear her head, try and fiure this out. Besides, she had never really liked parties.

Charlie was still wandering around. Finally, he came up to her.

"Keep an eye out, okay?"

"She's not here, man," Ana Lucia said dryly, tried of his persistence.

"Well, I hope she's not. But Desmond said-"

"Desmond? Oh yeah… that guy with the button."

"He said that they would be rescued if-"

"What, this guy could tell the _future _or something?" she joked.

"…Yeah."

All right. She'd heard enough. This guy was nuts.

"Fine," she said, waving him away, "if I see the blond girl with the kid, I'll let you know."

"Apparently," Charlie said quietly, "she doesn't have Aaron. 'The kid'."

Ana Lucia was confused. "I thought you didn't _like_ me. Why are you standing here… chatting?"

"I'm not chatting," he said defensively. "I'm looking for Claire. I _saw_ her… I wasn't just… _imagining _it."

Ana raised an eyebrow. "But your mind can get the best of you sometimes, right? Aren't you the guy who started the fire? That said-"

"Now I remember why I didn't like you."

Ana looked at him coldly and raised an eyebrow. Charlie shook his head, frustrated.

With that, he left her alone again. She was glad, all she wanted was to be alone. But it had been nice to talk to someone besides Libby…

For a while she watched the party. She saw Jack. And Kate.

_Kate._ She had never really liked her. Hurley had once left it slip that Kate was running from the law. Maybe that was it...

She watched as Kate leaned over and whispered something to Jack that made him smile.

…maybe it was something else.

Apparently the two were together now. And had had a kid.

"Hey,"

"…hey."

Shannon sat down beside Ana on the lawn. Ana Lucia was surprised. And a little nervous. What do you say to the woman you killed?

"So, do you have any idea what's going on?" asked Shannon, bringing her knees up under her chin.

Ana shook her head. "No."

Shannon nodded to herself and went on watching the party, like Ana.

"Where's your boyfriend?" Ana Lucia asked.

"Who? Oh, Boone. He's my brother," Shannon corrected. She pointed across the patio to where Boone stood with Dr. Arzt talking to Alex and Karl.

"Sorry."

"It's okay…"

_Why is she still sitting here? _

"Charlie still looking for Claire?"

"Yeah," Ana said, absently.

"It's funny, those two were, like, attached at the hip on the beach. It was like they were playing house, especially after Aaron was-"

"Is it true?" she interrupted. "Are you really over it?"

Shannon's smile faded. "No."

"Then why did you say-"

"Because I'm not mad at you anymore."

"Why not?" she couldn't help but ask. Ana was still mad at _herself_.

"Because I would have done the same thing," Shannon said, their eyes finally meeting.

"No you wouldn't have." Ana stared down at the patch of grass in front of her.

"Yes, I would have. I tried to kill Locke once, and I _would _have, except-"

"_You _tired to kill _Locke_? The old guy?"

Shannon nodded. "It's a long story."

Ana Lucia nodded, too, sensing that she clearly didn't want to talk about it.

"I didn't mean to," she said after a while.

"I know," Shannon answered.

"I thought… I thought Sayid was going to kill me."

A sad smile came over Shannon. "He said he loved me," she murmured, gazing back over to the party.

Ana followed her eye-line and they both watched as Sayid wrapped his arm around another woman.


	17. You Are My Sun Shine

**You Are My Sun Shine**

Jin had given up looking for Sun. He had hoped mabe she was there, but there was no sign of her. But, he reasoned, if she wasn't there with them, she must at least be alive. She had to be back in Korea. She was safe, he assured himself.

He sat down beside Michael at one of the few empty tables. Michael had been quiet ever since he had got back from his chat with Eko, though Jin really didn't know what it was about. The fact that the language barrier with his friend had carried on after they had both died frustrated him.

"Couldn't find Sun?" Michael asked.

Jin shook his head. "She is… all right," he assured Michael. And himself.

Michael nodded. "Yeah, man, of course." He looked over at Jin. "You know I liked her, right?"

Jin looked back at his friend, staring blankly.

"I could have even loved her," he went on, more to himself then Jin now. "It just… it _killed_ me to see you treat her like dirt, man. She's such a _good_ person and didn't deserve…" he stopped himself and shook his head. "But she loved you. I'll never understand why, but she did."

Jin continued to listen to Michael, without reaction.

"I miss her," Michael concluded. "I missed her when I was away. I miss her now."

Jin turned away at last and nodded. "I know," he said slowly.


	18. Walking With The Ghost

**

* * *

**

Wakling With The Ghost:

Hurley walked over to Sayid and Nadia.

"Hello, Hurley," Sayid smiled, "enjoying your party?"

"Um… yeah."

"Not a very strong answer," smiled Nadia.

Hurley shifting his weight from one foot to the other uncomfortably. "I dunno… I got, like, a weird feeling you know?"

Sayid furrowed his brow. "Feeling?" he repeated.

"Yeah… Like I used to get when…" he stopped himself before he revealed more about his past then he intended. "Like I used to get," he said finally.

"Are you all right?" asked Nadia, concerned.

Hurley nodded. "I think so."

Kate joined them. "Hey, Hurley. You think it would be okay if I took Aaron inside for a second? I need to change him."

"Yeah, sure. Whatever."

Kate looked worried. "Are you feeling okay, Hurley?"

"Is Jack around?"

Sayid and Nadia exchanged confused looks.

"Yeah… he's just back there," she said, pointing to Jack who was getting a drink from the bar.

With that, Hurley left the group and quickly made his way over to Jack, leaving his friends wondering why he was acting so strangely.

"Hey, Jack?"

Jack took a swig from his beer bottle and turned around to face Hurley.

"Hey."

Hurley moved in a little closer and whispered. "You remember when I told you I was in a mental hospital?"

Jack nodded. "Yeah."

"Well… did I tell you I used to… _see_ people? Like, people who weren't there?"

"No... Hurley, are you feeling…"

Hurley shook his head. "I'm fine, man, It's nothing."

"You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"Dude… don't say that."

With that Hurley left Jack, looking around the party to see if he couldn't find Libby again.

"I'm not crazy," he whispered to himself.

* * *

**AN: **Jack's already drinking? Uh-oh :P


	19. Her Guy

**Her Guy:**

Shannon and Ana Lucia sat together for a while. Ana Lucia never thought she'd be able to continue a conversation with someone like Shannon, but there seemed to be more to her then she let on. Besides, it was just nice to have a little human contact.

"I can't really see you being Sayid's type," Ana said. "No offense," she added quickly.

Shannon shrugged. "It wasn't supposed to happen, it just kind of… _did_. And I'm glad."

Ana Lucia nodded. "Fair enough."

Shannon turned to her with a little smile. "So, who was _your _guy?"

"My _guy_?" Ana repeated.

"Oh come on, don't play dumb. Everyone's got a guy."

Ana Lucia smiled and shook her head. "Not everyone."

"Please. Kate even got two."

Ana's smiled faded. "Yeah. Looks like she finally chose though, eh?"

Shannon made a face. "Right choice, if you ask me. Sawyer was awful."

Ana Lucia rolled her eyes and tried to hide her smirk.

"What?"

She leaned over a little closer to Shannon. "I slept with him," she whispered. She enver would have said anything to anyone before, but, being dead... what could it really hurt?

"_What_?"

"Shhh," she laughed. "I needed a gun."

"He made you sleep with him to get a gun?" Shannon's jaw hung open. "I mean, I needed, like, bug spray once and he said…"

Ana laughed. "No. I stole it. I slept with him, then I stole it."

Shannon wrinkled her nose. "I hope it was worth it. But he wasn't your guy, was he?"

"I don't even know what that _means_," she smiled.

"You know, my guy was Sayid, Claire's guy was Charlie, Sun's guy was Jin. Nikki's guy was Paulo," she said, motioning with her head to where the two were standing together.

"People didn't exactly like me after… after what happened."

"What about that guy?"

"Eko?"

"Yeah."

Ana laughed again. "No. It wasn't him."

"Then there _was _someone?"

"What is this, high school?"

"Oh. Just spit it out. What am I gunna do, _tease _you?"

Ana examined her nails. "I guess I had a… a thing for someone."

"Who?"

"Does it matter?"

"Well, if it didn't matter, you'd tell me. So yes, it does."

Ana shook her head. "It doesn't."

"He's here, isn't he? That's why you don't want to say." Shannon laughed.

"He's not exactly here…"

Shannon raised an eyebrow. "He's alive then? Hurley? Sayid? Jack?"

Ana's face betrayed her.

"It was Jack, wasn't it?"

"All right… so maybe I had a crush on Jack… Not that it really matters now," she added, pointing over to where Jack stood. He and Kate were facing away from them, and his hand was on Kate's back.

Shannon was about to say something when he two turned because they heard shouting. Nikki and Paulo stood a little ways off, yelling at each other.

"They always been like that?" Ana Lucia asked.

Shannon nodded. "One second, they're all lovey-dovey, the next they can't stand each other."

"I heard that guy, Paulo, used to be a chef or something."

Shannon shrugged. "I didn't really know him well."

"Oh."

"Ana Lucia?"

"Yeah?"

"You think it would be weird if I went over and sat by Sayid?"

Ana felt her throat get tighter. It was her fault that they weren't together. She caused their pain.

"No."

"Okay…" Shannon stood up, a little akwardly. "Then... see yah."

Ana gave her a little nod. "Bye."

In the distance she could still hear Nikki shouting.

Shannon left and she was alone again. But it wasn't so bad. It had been nice talking to Shannon. Maybe if things had been different the two could have gotten along. Although "friends" was pushing it.

Nikki stormed past her then, Paulo at her heels. "You're not _listening _to me," he said, exasperated. He stopped following her and stood just in front of Ana. "I don't know what else she wants from me," he said, more to himself then anyone.

"You want some advice?" she called up to him.

Paulo looked down at her.

"You don't need that." She stood up, brushing off the back of her pants.

He shook his head. "You don't know anything about us."

"I get we all have our personal stuff - our _secrets._ But we can't let them control our lives. Much less our deaths," she added bitterly. She shrugged. "You could do better."

Paulo paused for a moment. Then he smiled a little. He stuck out his hand. "Well then. I'm Paulo. You must be Better."

After hesitating a bit, Ana shook his hand and smiled. "Yeah, I must be."


	20. Claire

**Claire:**

Charlie had seen Claire. He knew he had seen her.

He had been walking along the beach, near the cove, when he saw her. She was standing in the ocean, the water up to her knees. Her hair was carried softly by the wind and her sadly blank blue eyes met his.

So he ran. Faster then he ever had, and called out to her. He ran toward the water, but before he made it, the setting changed, and there was not water, but grass in front of him.

Across the lawn, past a large patio, standing near the back fence, he saw her again. And what worried him not was not that she wasn't smiling, that she didn't come near him, or that she must have been dead, it was that she didn't have Aaron.

Kate did.

And so he ran. But before long more people came into focus, people he never thought he'd see again. That's when he lost her.

So know he wandered around the back fence, trying to find her again. There must have been a reason she was there. She needed something, she needed him. He had to find her.

But there was no one there.

Unless…?

Someone stood near the big house, but away from the party.

It was Hurley's party, he knew. But he didn't have time to think about his friend. He stared over at the woman.

It was Claire.

It had to be.

He took a few steps forward.

It was her.

He ran.

"Stop," she said softly as he got closer.

Charlie slowed down, but continued to move toward her. "Claire…"

"Please, Charlie, stop."

He stopped.

_Oh_, to hear that voice again.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Charlie, I need you to listen to me. This is important."

"Are you dead? Were you rescued?"

"Please."

He took a step toward her. He couldn't bear to keep this distance between them.

But Claire shook her head and took a step back. "You need to help me."

"Why can't I come near-"

"I'm not dead, Charlie."

He silently breathed a sigh of relief. "Were you rescued? Desmond said-"

"No, Charlie. I can't stay here long, so I need you to listen, please."

The sun began dipping behind the house and hid Claire in a pale shadow.

Claire began explaining. "I'm on the Island. A lot of us are."

"Then why are-"

"_Please_, Charlie." She sounded tired, pained. Charlie didn't say anything else. She went on, "we need them to come back. We need them. But, Charlie," she said slowly, taking the slightest step forward, "you can't let Kate take him back."

"Aaron?"

She nodded. "Jack isn't supposed to raise him. Charlie, this is very important. "He's _not supposed to raise him_."

Charlie nodded, not asking questions. He didn't need to. Claire wouldn't say anything about Aaron that wasn't true.

"So they need to go back, but not Aaron?"

"Not Aaron," she repeated.

"Got it. But how do I-"

Claire looked back over to the party, then to Charlie. "I have to go."

"Where? The Island? You can't, I-"

"He'll notice I'm gone."

"Claire. _Please_." His voice was pleading and he felt tears well up in his eyes. She couldn't just _leave_. Not now. "_Who_ will notice?"

"Charlie?"

"Yeah?"

"I got your letter. Your hits." She smiled a little and sounded more like herself.

Charlie smiled, too, sadly. The tears finally began sliding down his cheeks.

"Thank you," she said. "I never told you how much I needed you."

Charlie tried to stifle his sob. Why now? Why here? Why couldn't she stay?

"Thank you for taking care of us." She paused, the sun getting lower, the shadow getting darker. "Aaron missed you. And so did I. Very much. But I have to go."

"I love you, Claire."

"I love you, too."

Claire began backing away, and slowly Charlie watched her fade away into the same nothingness they all seemed to have through. And Charlie knew she was back on the Island, back to whoever was waiting for her.

And he knew he had a message to deliver.

**AN: **Okay, so I get that Claire telling Charlie they need the O6 back, but not Aaron doesn't really make sense. But I wanted it to go along with Kate's dream. I like to think that the message Charlie gave Hurley, about Jack raising Aaron, was from Claire.

Now, I know there are tons of "Claire-is-dead" theories floating around out there. And I totally think she is, btw. If you check out the "Claire Littleton" spot on Fanpop, there's a soapbox with all the clues, but that's kinda off topic... Anyhow, I figured in this story I'd make her somewhere inbetween dead and alive, almost like Christian. He's dead, but he's not.


	21. In This Life, Or The Next

**In This Life, Or The Next:**

Shannon sat down beside Sayid and the woman he was with. She'd be the first to admit that it was a little weird, watching them when she knew they couldn't see her, but she just wanted to be near him for a while.

Rousseau walked up to them. "Do you know when we are leaving?" she asked Shannon.

Shannon looked up at her, startled. "Leaving? Why are we leaving?"

"Why are we staying?" she countered.

Shannon looked back at Sayid and sighed. "I guess… I don't know."

"Were you in love with Sayid?" she asked, bluntly.

Again, Shannon turned around. "Yes," she said, quietly. "And he said he was in love with me."

"He told me she was dead," Danielle said, nodding her head and indicating Nadia.

Shannon lowered her eyes, uncomfortable. "I don't know who she is."

"Her name is Nadia. Perhaps this is Sayid's 'next life'."

Shannon looked confused. "Next life?" she repeated.

"He had a picture of her, or Nadia. On the back she had written that she would 'see him again in this life or the next'."

"Well then… I guess it is." She fought to stay composed. It was his next lifelife withouther,

_You said you'd never leave me._

Shannon stood up and left the table, without so much as a goodbye to Rousseau. She found Boone standing and talking to Mr. Eko and Gary Troop.

"Boone?" she said quietly.

He turned around. "What's up?"

"Well, the French lady was asking when we were-"

"Shan, were you crying?"

"No," she said quickly.

Boone took her hand and led her away from the group. "What's wrong? Did someone-"

"You think Sayid's in love with that girl?"

"Oh." Boone sighed. He rubbed her arm, trying to comfort her. "Look, I didn't know the guy too well, but any one would be crazy if they didn't care about you. " He smiled, softly.

Without warning. Shannon wrapped her arms around Boone's neck. He was taken back. Shannon rarely showed him affection.

"I'm sorry I'm so mean to you," she whispered.

He didn't know what to say. "It's… okay."

Shannon stepped away from him and smiled. "Of all the guys I've known, you're the only one who's always been around."

Boone just stared at her, his mind completely blank, though he knew he should say something.

"Thanks," she said finally.

"I'm sorry."

"Why?"

Boone put his head down. "I'm sprry I ruined it. I'm sorry I fell in love with you," he said quietly.

"I'm sorry I didn't."


	22. Love

**Love:**

"Kate! _Kate_!"

Charlie spotted her coming out of the house and walking back towards to party, Aaron in her arms. He ran up to her.

"Kate! Kate, listen, it's me! It's Charlie!"

Kate was oblivious to him as he now walked quickly beside her.

Charlie was frustrated. How could he deliver the message if no one could hear him? Maybe he could write it down… He decided to lift a glass on one of the tables, just to see he if could interact with the objects here, if not the people.

As Kate sat Aaron on in a high chair, Charlie reached for the glass. It was there. It had substance, and it wasn't like his hand passed right through it or anything. But it was as if it was glued down to the table. He couldn't use it. He tried again with a fork. Nothing.

"_Bollocks_."

He supposed it made sense, though. If they could use the things here, it would seem as if everything were floating away.

The only expectation seemed to be the chairs. The dead seemed to be able to sit on them, even pull them out from under the tables, with ease. It didn't make sense, but what did he expect? Nothing made sense before, so why should it now?

Walking right up to where Kate was now sitting beside Aaron, Charlie decided to give it one last shot with her.

"_Kate_," he said loudly.

"It's no use," he heard Boone call from a little way behind him. "They can't hear you."

_Thanks, pretty boy, I haven't figured that out yet…_

Charlie ignored him. "Kate!"

Aaron looked over and giggled.

Charlie's heart melted. It seemed like ages since he's seen the little guy. He walked around to the opposite side of Kate, where Aaron was sitting beside her. He sat in the chair next to him, grateful now that he could at least to that.

"Hey, Turnip Head," he smiled.

Aaron snacked the table playfully and smiled back.

"How have you been?"

Kate leaned over and let Aaron have some icing off her finger.

"You miss your mum, little guy?"

Of course, Aaron didn't answer. He was far to interested in the paper plate in front of him.

"I know I do. But," he said, taking a deep breath and pasting on a fake smile, "it's okay. You've got Kate. She'll take good care of you. Do you remember me? Charlie? We defiantly had some times together…"

Aaron looked over again and smile. Charlie couldn't help but smile, too. The baby grabbed his finger and began to babble. Charlie leaned in close and pushed his nose with his finger.

"I love you, Aaron. You know that, right?"

Wait.

_Grabbed his finger?_

Surprise, Charlie suddenly pulled away. "Aaron… can you _see _me?"

The baby smacked the table again.

Kate leaned over him. "What are you doing, kiddo?" she smiled.

"Kate?" Charlie tried again. If Aaron could see him…

Aaron looked over at the sound of Charlie's voice and reached out for him.

"Who do you think you're talking to, sweetie?"

For the second time that day, Charlie's eyes welled up with tears. _It's me. I'm right here. It's Charlie._

Charlie leaned over and kissed Aaron on the head. He had to go. He had worked to do.

Just then Hurley walked over. "Hey, Kate. Hey, little man."

Kate smiled up at him. "Hey, Hurley. I think your dad's looking for you."

"Oh, yeah? Why do you…" his voice trailed off as his eyes wandered past Kate and Aaron, to the empty seat next to them. The seat that _should _have been empty.

"It gotta go."

"Why? Are you-"

Hurley turned abruptly and began quickly walking away.

Then it dawned on Charlie. He had seen him.

Charlie quickly stood up and followed Hurley.

"Oi! Mate!" he called after him. Hurley quickened his pace. "Hurley! It's me, it's-"

"You're not here, you're not here, you're not here," Hurley murmured to himself.

"Yes, I am!" Charlie was getting frustrated chasing after his friend. "They… _they need you_!"

Hurley continued walking, but Charlie stopped. He was going about this all wrong. He need to talk to him when there weren't so many people around, when he could convince him that he _was_ actually there.

And maybe after he'd cleaned up a little.


	23. Stars

**Stars:**

Alex didn't want to head back, although Danielle seemed to think it was a good idea.

"There's nothing for us here," she had said. "There's nothing for _them_ here, either. But they haven't realized that yet."

Karl seemed indifferent. He wanted to go back and look for Sawyer. Sawyer would know what to do, he told her.

But she couldn't leave. She just _couldn't_.

She paced the lawn on her own for a bit, trying to decide what to do. Did she just listen? Do as her mother said? Follow the leader?

No. She had done that for too long.

Karl walked up behind her, startling her. "It's getting dark," he observed.

She turned around and nodded, her hands grabbing hold of her elbows. Loose bits of dark head fell in her face.

Karl touched her shoulder. "Are you all right?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah. Of course. Well… as all right as a dead girl can be."

Karl nodded, sitting down on the grass. He looked up at her. "Sit with me?" he asked.

Folding her legs under her, Alex sat beside him Looking up at the nearly dark sky, she got a better idea. She stretched herself out and laid down.

"Getting comfy?" Karl asked, following her lead. Alex just nodded, not bothering to look over at him. "Alex," he said quietly, "tell me. What's wrong?"

She sighed, looking over at his sweet, worried face. How could she keep anything from him? Why would she ever want to?"

"Do you realize," she began, "that this is the first time I've been off that Island?"

Karl thought for a moment. "Really?"

She nodded. "Yeah. And I just… I don't think I can go back there, you know?"

He took her hand in his. "Right now, you don't have to. In fact, don't even think about it."

"But, eventually we have to-"

Karl shook his head. "No. Right now, we don't have to do anything."

Alex nodded and they were both silent for a moment.

The Karl flipped over on his side, looking at her. "I was scared you know."

"Of what?" she asked, not looking away from the still thickening night.

"When I died. I was scared I'd never see you again," he said quietly. "And I was scared I _would_."

Finally, Alex looked over at him, into those shining, honest eyes. She gave him a little kiss. "I was scared," she admitted. "Scared to die. But," she whispered, leaning in close to him, "I'm glad I wasn't away from you for too long."

Karl rolled back onto his back, clutching Alex's hand. "don't worry if we have to go back." he said. "The stars are the same here as they are there."

Alex looked back up at the sky. "Look," she said, pointing to a group of stars, "there's the Teddy Bear."


	24. Anything

**Anything:**

Charlie was sitting at a table, lost in thought.

_When will he be alone? Will he believe me when I try to explain? Will I ever see her again?_

Michael walked up to him. It had been ages since he'd last seen Charlie, and, to be honest, he had missed him. He'd missed everyone.

Plus, he was trying to avoid Jin. He hadn't realized just how much English he had picked up. Things were still uncomfortable. ...At least for him.

"Hey," Michael said, trying to sound causal.

Startled out of this thoughts, Charlie glared up at him. "I don't think I'm ready to start talking to you," he spat.

Michael felt the blood drain from his face. "What?"

Charlie turned away from him. "We all know what you did."

How many times did he have to go through this? How long was he going to be punished?

"I _know_ you know, man." He tried to stop the tears of frustration from welling up. "Do you think I'm _happy_ about it? Do you think I _want_-"

"You didn't have to do it," Charlie said, coldly.

Michael ran his hand over his face. "Wouldn't you do anything - _anything_ - to save someone you loved?"

Charlie looked back up at him. "What?"

Michael's eyes burned holes into his. "_Wouldn't you_?"

Again, Charlie turned away, though he hung his head. "…I guess I would," he said quietly. "Yes. I'd do anything."


	25. We Have To Go Back

**We Have To Go Back:**

Eventually they all ended up together again. They stood in a huddle like they had when they had first arrived. And waited. For something. For anything.

"We should do something," Boone said.

Paulo nodded in agreement.

Arzt rolled his eyes. "Well, _you_ got any ideas?"

"Aren't you the one who always seems to know what's going on?" Boone spat, clearly on edge and irritable.

"Guys," Libby said casually, "let's not start-"

"-_Korean_-"

Michael tenderly felt the cut on his lip, back from when Ana had hit him. "Yeah man, we have no idea."

"House?" Jin suggested.

Paulo shook his head. "What good would it do? It's not like we can-"

"Oh, shut up," Nikki hissed at him.

"We should not fight with each other," Eko said. "We're all we have right now."

It struck Ana Lucia how true that was. There really was nothing else here for them. No one else.

Charlie was the last to join the group, and when he did, he was unusually quiet.

"Did you see Claire?" Alex piped up.

The group watched as Charlie thought for a moment, as if weighing his answer. "No," he finally said. "No, I was wrong. She's not here."

"Well… that's good," Alex said, though she looked a little disappointed.

Rousseau quickly grew bored of the conversation. "We need to make a plan. What do we do now?"

Shannon sighed. "Shouldn't stuff just… _happen_? Like, other dead people don't have to make plans about… being dead, right?"

"Perhaps we still have work to do," Mr. Eko suggested.

"Ha," the marshal spat sarcastically. "_Work_. What we need to do is tell someone that she…"

Libby stopped listening and took a small step forward.

Michael couldn't help but remember how she had haunted his dreams, how both she and Ana Lucia had never left his mind since they were killed. Since _he _killed them. He wondered if she knew.

"We've tried talking to them?" she asked. "None of them can see us?"

Boone turned to Charlie. "Did they see you?"

Charlie took no notice to the question directed at him. He nervously picked at his nails.

"Well?" Boone said, a little louder.

Charlie looked up. "Huh? What?"

"I saw you trying to talk to them. It didn't work, right?"

"No," he said quickly. "No, they can't see us."

Ana Lucia sighed. "Well then… I guess that's that."

The group continued to talk about what they were supposed to do next. Where to go, who to talk to, whether or not they should try and go back into the house. But Libby stopped listening again. Instead, she stared off into the distance.

_Distance_?

How could a backyard have "distance"? She squinted to try and make out what she saw.

She nudged Nikki who stood beside her. "You see that?" she whispered.

Nikki folded her arms. "No." She never took her eyes off of Paulo, who stood near Ana Lucia.

"Look," Libby insisted. "Can't you see…"

Nikki huffed dramatically. "Not really in the mood to chat, _okay_?"

"Well… I'm not really in the mood to be stuck in someone's yard after being _murdered_, but I deal with it." Even she was surprised at the bitterness in her voice.

Nikki turned to her, brows furrowed. "Look, I just got dumped, _okay_? So I'd say-"

"I just had a conversation with the man I never got the chance to be with. And he had no _idea _I was there. I think I win."

It took a few moments for Libby to realize just how loudly she had said this, and that everyone was staring at her. Her cheeks burned.

But at least Nikki had shut up.

Charlie put a hand on her arm and the two look a small step back from the rest of the group.

"Sorry," Libby started, "I didn't mean to-"

"I know what it's like, you know. To be invisible."

"We all do."

Charlie nodded. "But…" he stopped, seeming to debate whether or not he really wanted to go on. "But I think… I think Hurley saw me."

"No, he must have just-"

"It wasn't just him. Aaron, too."

"The baby?"

Charlie nodded.

"How could they-"

"And I saw Claire, too."

Libby raised her eyebrow. "But you said…"

Charlie shook his head. "I know, but… Who'd _believe_ me?"

"What makes you think _I _believe you?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Because... you talked to him. He must have been able to see you, too."

Libby paused. "No," she said slowly. "No, he would have… said something. Right?" She seemed to be honestly asking for some sort of reassurance.

Charlie gave a little shrug. "Maybe he thought…"

"…he was seeing things again," Libby finished for him.

"Again?"

Libby motioned her head towards the groups. "Come on, let's find out what's going on."

Charlie nodded.

"Charlie?"

Charlie turned back to her. "Yeah?"

She gave him a little smile. "Thanks."

"You don't think I'm a nutter, do you?"

She shook her head. "No."

_I'm in no place to judge._

The two joined the group once again.

But there was that… distance. That fog again.

This time Libby decided to point it out to the group.

They turned around.

"Yes, I see it," said Mr. Eko.

"It looks like… it looks like what we saw when we got here," Ana Lucia pointed out, squinting as Libby had done.

Danielle began to walk toward it.

"Whoa," Boone said, "where are you going?"

"There's nothing for us here," she said simply.

"And there _is _back _there_?"

"I am sure this will not be the last time we are able to leave the Island."

Karl felt Alex's sigh of relief.

"What makes you so sure?" Charlie asked. "Do you think we'll be able to leave again?"

Danielle nodded. "Yes. If not, why have this happen at all? Why show us a world we can never get back to?"

It almost made sense.

"I believe she is right," Mr. Eko said. "We should go back."

Nikki shook her head. "Go _back?_ But…"

Mr. Eko motioned around them. "Look. This world is fading."

Sure enough the chair, decorations, house, and even the people slowly became less vibrant. Soon enough small things even became transparent.

Shannon looked around, blond hair swinging behind her. "What's happening?" There was a nervous quiver in her voice.

"We're leaving," Ana said simply.

The group quickly decided that leaving was there best option. No one wanted to stick around to find out what happened when everything in this world went blank.

And so they made their decent back into the mist that would bring them back to the Island. The one place they wanted so desperately to leave.

Charlie took one last look over his shoulder and memorized his face.

"I'll be back for you, too," he whispered. "Don't worry, Aaron. I'm coming back."

* * *

**AN:** Okay, so this was a realyl long chapter. Probably the longest. I didn't mean for it to be that long, but once I started writing that littel Charlie/Libby thing, I wanted to keep ot, lol. How could he _not_ tell her? So, I'm nearly done. I'm thinking two more chapters, but they're both short. And the title of the story will finally make sense :P Thanks for all teh reviews guys! I love you! :D(L)


	26. Hope

**Hope:**

Ana Lucia and Mr. Eko looked out on the beach, watching the waves crash into the shore. They were back, as if nothing had happened. Back in the same God forsaken place that even in death they couldn't escape.

"I don't get it," Ana said angrily, "why would they tease us with a chance of getting out of this place then just take it away?"

Mr. Eko thought for a moment, then turned to her. "Who is 'they'?" he finally asked.

She gave him a little smile. "I thought you were supposed to know that."

Eko turned back to that water. "I believe there was a reason for it. If nothing else, it brought us all back together."

"We would have found each other eventually," she huffed. "This place isn't _that _big. I just don't see _why."_

"Perhaps it gave us something we have yet to realize. Or we at least fail to see the value in yet."

Ana Lucia looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Hope," Eko told her. "If nothing else, it gave us hope."


	27. The End

**The End:**

Christian Sheppard stood up on a low hill, watching as the spirits of those who had once inhabited the Island slowly returned back. A yellow lab sat obediently at his feet.

Their heads hung and eyes downcast he realized that everything was working out according to plan. Just as he had told Christian it would.

No things were slowly beginning to make sense, little pieces of the fuzzy puzzle finally starting to fit together it in mind. It was then he realized the true genius and power of Jacob.

The wind blew gently across the beach. He continued to watch as the people began to settle back into the Island that they had almost become accustomed to. A blond girl sat beside a young man. A man with shaggy hair wandered up and down the shoreline. A tall man and a woman looked out at the water.

He recognized the woman. _Sarah_.

He shook the memories away from him.

He realized an advantage to being in his position was that not only could he see the dead, but the living as well. Did any of them realize the older couple holding hands as they walked right past a teenage boy and girl? Did they have any idea that a woman with long blond hair and a shirtless man sat next to each other on the beach, nearly right next to Sarah? He knew it must be what Jacob felt like, knowing things that others didn't.

It must be getting late and he needed to get back. He wondered if Claire was still sleeping. He had told her to stay in the cabin, but lately she was getting restless, asking too many questions.

But of course there was a reason for having her there. Even if he had yet to understand it.

He turned away from the beach and headed back into the jungle to find out what his next task was. What their next task was. They were here for a reason and even though they were dead, they still had work to do.

**LOST.**


End file.
